My desire is to grapple together here over how well off we are with God through Christ,
and to live from His opinion of us.

Friday, July 03, 2009

Gimme More Of That

I have wrestled and struggled with obedience all my life. Well, perhaps not when I was one year old, but let’s ignore that. Besides, everyone obeyed me during that first year or two. Too bad I can’t remember it.

Obey. How does that word make you feel? OBEY! Does it stir warm feelings and happy thoughts? Not for me, it doesn’t.

The command to obedience has provided me with lots of opportunities to navigate or negotiate. I could obey the command on the outside, while screaming with resentment on the inside. I could obey if I thought there was an immediate benefit secured by the act—I win. Or I could obey part-way—make it look as though I were carrying out the command when really I was obeying by a percentage less than 100%.

Is there such a thing as partial obedience?

So when as a new Christian I read how important obedience is to God—it’s a pretty big deal with Him—I set to work on it. I had help. Loads of sermons and books and articles focused me on the need for obedience. Some of my Christian friends and I even pledged that we would live “a life of obedience.” What an intense phrase that is. “A life of obedience.”

Say that three times aloud and I’ll bet you feel guilty.

Here’s what I’ve found: God made me a new creation—an actual son of His. Obedience to Him is now perfectly in keeping with who I have become. It’s natural now. However, my flesh (that part of me that offers a course for living which results in living without the life of God) is anything but new. In continued rebellion against God, it pressures me to keep on negotiating with obedience. In other words, the mind of the flesh suggests I obey God only when I can predetermine a desirable outcome. “That would make sense,” I might think. Obey if it will make my life work better. Obey if I will feel better. Obey if it means more fun. Obey if people will see it and respect me.

But obey if I have no idea what the result will be? Hmm. May I have another choice, please?

Here’s what I’m learning: obedience is best and most true when it is to God Himself, and not to an acceptable or good plan, or an outcome I can imagine. To be clear, I like it when I can expect or imagine a good outcome; pray, and I’ll feel better; read the Bible and I’ll gain knowledge and wisdom, etc. But offering obedience to God when I have no idea if the result will be what I like is quite the adventure. Isn’t it?

So I’m talking and thinking through obedience like this: “Well, Holy Spirit, I am going to obey You. As I go forward into this moment, I am focusing on You, and obedience to You is perfect for me—it’s how I fit with You and in this world. I am resisting the urge to focus on how my obedience to You will work out. That’s a fear I don’t need, and by focusing on You, I am kept free of it. I know that I want You more than anything, and I believe obedience to You will give me more of that. So here we go.”

Does that make sense? There is nothing, nothing better than actually knowing God, and obedience to Him—directly at Him—gives me more of that. That’s the point, and I can do it all through the day. I feel like a happy kid when I’m knowing and resting in Him. He is glorified and I’m delighted with Him.

4 comments:

Hi Ralph,I'm on the road, so to speak myself. I'm doing my "West Coast Pier to Pier Summer Preaching Tour". Started at the Mexican boarder, have made it to the LA area and continuing up the coast painting & preaching the gospel message at every pier on the coast.

OBEDIENCE - A big sometimes intimidating word for believers. I like the "obedience of faith" Paul speaks of. We get the credit for His obedience on our behalf. Wow! That makes obedience mean 'looking at what Jesus is doing on the inside of me'. The focus is on Him alone, not me. He already earned the obedience award for perfection and gave it to us! That's rest.

Hi Ralph,I know how much that word can be bothering, and words translated into english don't always cover it exactly right.But here is my thought, obedience to me I have found to be tuning into the still small voice and his word, speaking to me in life, like stop, go slow, caution, full speed ahead,ect. Because he is my Aba Father and loves me. Just like a father when he sees his child about to touch a flame that could burn and hurt. But I have learned by my hard headedness, "the hard way" to not go against what I don't have peace about. I try to stay more in tune with him and listen to him and his still small voice and word. We are free, guided in love. He is my father and knows best. My comfort is that he loves me and knows me and wants what is best for me, in this world it's hard at times to unclutter the static and just be still and listen. We are directed and guided by him in love. Father knows best!Yes it's obedience, but I like to think of it more as guiding love.